Can Cows Eat Apples? What About Fermented Apples?

For humans, an apple a day is supposed to keep the doctor away. But for cows, tackling a fruitarian diet isn’t quite so straightforward. Can cows eat apples? Do they enjoy them, and are apples good for them? We’ll go into all the details in this article!

During fall, any homesteader with both apple trees and cows will know how difficult it can be to stop your cows from devouring the fallen fruit. October tends to see a sudden increase in people asking, “Can cows eat half-fermented apples?” and “Do cows get drunk from eating apples?”

If your grazing is limited, finding affordable feed for cattle during the winter months can prove challenging. This is why commercial beef farmers sometimes opt for unusual feed alternatives.

A few years ago, the New York Post ran a story about beef cattle being fed Skittles to fatten them up, which got strawberry milk lovers around the US very excited. If cows can sustain on Skittles, surely a few fresh fruits can’t do them any harm… or can they?

Can Cows Eat Apples?

Cows love fruits, especially apples. In fact, they love them so much that, if presented with bucketloads of the things, they won’t know when to stop, which is where the problems lie.

While apples are safe to feed to cows in moderation, they should be regulated. Too many apples can cause bloating and acidosis, which is potentially lethal.

So, can cows eat apples? Yes, but in moderation.

If you’re going to feed your cows apples, mash them or break them up into small pieces to prevent choking. Unlike horses, cows don’t have upper incisors so they can end up putting the whole apple in their mouth in one piece.

While they will try to bite through the apple with their molars, in the process, they may accidentally swallow it whole. Or, if it’s a particularly hard apple, it can potentially shoot straight down their throat.

Either way, you’ll end up with a costly vet bill on your hands.

Are Half-Fermented Apples Good for Cows?

Although partly fermented apples probably aren’t on your list of favorite foods, cows enjoy them and reap their rewards. These include aiding digestion and regulating the stomach’s acidity.

Feeding a few half-fermented apples to your cow can be beneficial. They may welcome them as tasty treats that make a change from their traditional feed.

Is it true that cows can get drunk on apples?

Opinions differ.

Some say they’ve seen “six highly inebriated cows, marching flank to flank like a row of members of a marching band.” Others say it simply isn’t possible. The apples take too long to ferment and cows would need to eat too many apples to feel the effects.

There is a theory, however, that a cow with acidosis (also known as grain poisoning) may display symptoms similar to those exhibited by inebriated humans. These symptoms include “muscular tremors, followed by a drunken, staggering gait.”

Nevertheless, acidosis is a serious illness. It is caused by the rapid fermentation of carbohydrates in the cow’s rumen or stomach which leads to “an increase in the amount of acid-producing bacteria.”

In small quantities, however, apples are an excellent source of potassium. Potassium “impacts carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid uptake, and protein synthesis,” boosting the animal’s immune function, milk product, and reproductive performance.

What Other Foods Do Cows Like?

Cows love nothing better than the sweet taste of seasonal fruits. This makes keeping them out of your apple orchard and away from fruit trees in general somewhat challenging.

If you’re looking for a nice, fruity treat for cows, you might want to consider the following.

Feed Your Cow Berries

You may not be willing to share things like strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries with your cattle! However, if you do have an excess, all these common fruits have as many advantages for your cows as they do for you.

Strawberries are rich in antioxidants and support the immune system.
Raspberries contain high levels of vitamin A, while their stems and stalks provide dietary fiber.
Blueberries, on the other hand, are “an excellent source of nutrients, valued mostly in times when the forage is low.”

Carrots for Cows

Carrots are tasty and beneficial for cows. They give them the antioxidant benefits of butter oil, as well as the benefits of calcium, iron, and potassium.

To ensure your cow doesn’t choke on a carrot, feed them at ground level as this makes them easier to chew and swallow.

Feeding Cattle Citrus Fruits

Oranges are amongst the most common fruits fed to cows, either in their dry feed or as an extra food source.

Not only are oranges and other citrus fruits, like grapefruit, high in nutrients and vitamins, but they also have an antimicrobial effect on the cow’s gut. (source)

Cows will eat the entire fruit, peel and pip included, getting essential oils such as d-limonene from the peels.

Corn for Cattle

Sweet corn is an excellent form of cow feed. It provides them with an energy source and they’ll happily tuck into the entire thing, “from the corn kernels to the corn stalks.”

Corn silage is frequently used to supplement the grass available in your cow pastures. Corn silage can also “serve as the sole grain source in backgrounding and finishing diets.”

Tractor Supply has a good range of cracked corn for cattle available.

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Can Cows Eat Pineapples?

While I wouldn’t recommend breaking out a can of pineapples for your backyard cows, fresh pineapples can help boost their immune system and improve digestion.

Cows enjoy the occasional pineapple so much, that they’ll happily munch their way through the tough rind. They’ll even eat their spiky topknot.

Too much of anything can be a bad thing, however. Pineapples have a lot of sugar in them so they should only be fed in moderation.

Stone Fruits

Despite their large, hard pips, stone fruits like plums and mangoes are both worth considering.

Cattle will happily eat the entire fruit given the opportunity. However, this is only advisable with the mango as cows could choke on the smaller plum pips.

What Fruits Are Dangerous for Cows?

Now that we’ve answered the question: ‘Can cows eat apples?’, let’s look at which fruits NOT to feed. Cows may enjoy the odd slice of watermelon, and even a handful of raspberries if you can spare them. However, some fruits could, potentially, kill them.

You’d think that, if cows can eat plums, giving them free rein with your cherry trees would be a great way to expand their food sources.

You couldn’t be more wrong.

When the leaves of the cherry tree start to wilt, they produce hydrogen cyanide (HCN) compounds, also known as prussic acid.

“Ruminant animals are very susceptible to poisoning from HCN and, “for a 1200 lb cow, consuming 1.2 to 4.8 pounds of wilted black cherry leaves could be a lethal dose.” (source)

Apricots can be similarly dangerous, although the flesh of the fruit itself is safe enough.

The leaves and branches are both toxin producers, but the pit or stone is the most lethal. If ingested, apricot kernels have been shown to cause “acute toxicity in humans” and be fatal for cattle. (source)

Show Your Cows How Much You Care

No one, not even a so-called beast of burden, enjoys eating the same food day after day and, for cows, stone fruits, and other seasonal fruits and vegetables, provide some much-needed variety.

Some commercial beef cattle farmers use fruits to improve the flavor or appearance of the meat.

In Osaka, for example, farmers are experimenting with producing leaner, healthier beef by adding sour plums, known as ume, to their feed.

For homesteaders, adding fruit to your cows’ diet can help cut down on winter feed bills, while giving them access to nutrients and vitamins that may not be available to a cow grazing pastures alone.

Hiding the occasional grapefruit or banana in their hay also adds some excitement to the day and gives you a chance to show your cows how much you care.

Can Cows Eat Apples? What About Fermented Apples?

Can Cows Eat Apples?

Are Half-Fermented Apples Good for Cows?